The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-06-05

| yidious class privileges which prevailed on the
Continent. was enormously great The Peers
wore the natural head OF that landed interest,
which It was one OF the main objects
OF English law to make the predom-
inant power In the country. They were
the centre Of q traditional popular rev.
ercnce. unmlstakable In It's power and sim
cority. They not only constituted one house
OF the legislature, but largely influenced by
their borough patronage the decisions 81 the
other. With the exception OF few eminent
lawyers, who wero readily welcomed Into their
ranks, almost all the higher posts OF admins
trntion were In the hands OF noblemen. or men
OF noble family. The two strongest Miniatures
OF the reign OF George Ill. were the Ministry
Of North which lasted for twelve years. and
tho Ministry OF Pitt, which lasted for twenty.
In the Cabinet of ITO, North himself and Sir
Edward Hawke were tho only members who
were not In the House Of Lords. while Pitt was
at first the only commoner In the Cabinet OF
1888. The power Of the nobility was sup
ported by great wealth. OF the kind which
carries with 1t most social influence. and
by superiority Of education and manners
which distinguished them far more than at
present from the average country gentleman.
! 1t is not surprising. therefore. that the separa-
| ton between tho titled and untitled gentry
| should have been more marked than In our
generation. In Humphrey Clinker' noble
man refuses the satisfaction Of gentleman to
n squire on account OF the inequality Of their
ranks and an attentive reader OF the light lit
erature OF tho time will. think. be struck with
| the degree In which the distinction between
| Peer and Commoner Is accentuated. Wilber-
| force gives as one Of his reasons for not de-
string Peer6ge that 1t would exclude his
children from intimacy with private gentle-
men Of moderate fortunes. and elergymen, and.
still more. mercantile men,"
When we call to mind the extraordinary num-
Der OF now Peers created by William Pitt, his
almost total rejection Of candidates from the
plutocracy is the more surprising. Smith, the
banker who was made Lord Darlington, was,
it seems, the sole exception. Mr.. Lecky points
out that in this particular retrograde move
ment took place In the last third Of the last
century. The connection between the Eng
lish nobility and the trading or commercial
classes. which, at certain earlier periods
had been marked. seems to have disappeared.
Notwithstanding the great prominence which
commercial interests held In the policy Of Pitt.
the dignity Of q British Peerage was. In his
Ministry. scarcely ever conferred on man
whose fortune had been made In commercial
pursuits. In questions Of PeeraRes the royal
influence is always extremely great, and
through his whole reign. 1t has been said.
George I'LL adopted as fixed principle that
no individual engaged In trade, however ample
might be his nominal fortune, should be ore
ated British Peer. 1t was averred by Burke.
in 1871, that at no period in the history OF Eng
land had so few Peers been taken out Of trade
or from families newly created by commerce.
In no period had so small number Of noble
families entered into the counting houses.
Burke can call to mind but enc In all England
and his experience was Of near fifty years
standing"
Let US return to the diversions and customs
OF 1884. Although hundred years ago Eng
lshmen had at least taken some steps toward
sobriety Of dress, there was no abatement In
other aspects of luxury. On the contrary
more money was spent in recreation and some
forms OF display than ever before. 1t does
not. indeed appear that the prevailing types
Of amusement had materially changed since
the first half OF tho eighteenth century
"Ranelagh and Vauxhall still retain
cd their popularity, but not their Pc.
sltion, for formidable rivals were draw
ing away the upper classes. Amack's
rooms 1.-THE prototype Of Papantis rooms In
Boston and OF similar apartments devoted tc
assemblies in New York and Philadelphia were
opened in 1765. a payment Of ten guineas en-
titing the members to weekly ball and sup
per for twelve weeks, but their real attraction
was the deep play OF which they soon became
the special centre. Nearly at the same time
Nine. Cornelys, supposed to have been 9
foreigner, but said to have been Irish BY birth
opened social club called The 10
ciety' at Carlisle House in Soho square
and her assemblies. her subscription balls
her harmonic concerts. and. above all
her masquerades. for few years attained
the widest popularity. MasQuorades wert
constantly spoken Of as one OF the chief de-
, moralizng Influences OF the time. and Horace
Walpole mentions one which 80 emptied the
, House OF Commons as to produce an adjourn
ment. The Pantheon. splendid assembly
room, intended as winter RanelaRh. was
, opened in Oxford street In Ito. and for o time
i. WAS much frequented. Gibbon mentions {
subscription masquerade there which cost NJ
less than $1,000. but few years later the TASTE
for masquerades diminished and the Pantheon
was converted into an ordinary concert room
| and theatre"
There was little diminution OF gaming de
spite the laws enacted against 1t In the pre-
ceding reign. Charles Fox once said tina
tao highest play he had ever known (crede er
!, pertol was between 1772 and the outbreak o
the American war. and the statement seems Il
: be corroborated by Horace Walpole" 1t Il
curious to those who know how utterly tn,
, fashions In English play have since changed
, to hear that ABOUT lfoO faro nau superseded
loo as the popular game and. although dis
tinctly specified as illegal. was notoriousl.
, carried on In the houses OF several ladie
Of the first position in society. In 179
Chief Justice Kenyon delivered charge. II
: which he dwelt on this scandal. and threatened
to send even the first ladies' OF the land to tn
p!llory II they were convicted before him, ant
Gilray caricatured three OF tho most conspicu
, GUS offenders as Faros Daughters standing
in the pillory. In the following year Led
! Buckinghamshire and two other ladies Of 20
! sition were. In fact, condemned, not, indeed, l.
the piory. but to pay fifty pounds each for IL
legal gambling. 1t was proved that they ha'
, gambling parties by rotation In each other
houses and sat gambling till 8 or In tn
morning"
People dined good deal earlier In London
hundred years ago than they do now. and ye
y there had been u marked change since tn